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3. The Rhetoric and Reality of Nationalism: Monterrey in the Revolution
- Texas A&M University Press
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ChaPTeR 3 The Rhetoric and Reality of nationalism Monterrey in the Revolution Miguel Ángel González-Quiroga introduction Monterrey, northeast Mexico’s most important city and one of the Huerta government’s few remaining bastions, was under siege by Constitutionalist forces on April 21, 1914, when news reached the city that US marines had landed at Veracruz. A patriotic, anti-US response was immediately set in motion . General Wilfredo Massieu, commander of the federal forces in the city, appealed to the rebels to cease hostilities and form a united front against the North American invaders, a plea that was rejected by General Pablo González, head of the Constitutionalist troops, who demanded immediate and unconditional surrender. The state governor, Salomé Botello, and the mayor of Monterrey, Ramón Treviño, both Huerta supporters, made inflammatory speeches exhorting the people to unite to defend the nation. Shouts of “death to the gringos” could be heard throughout the city. An eyewitness to these events declared that “marching bands and an immense multitude roamed the streets . . . proclaiming that the nation was in peril.”1 Prodded by the military authorities, the crowd began tearing down the US flags that adorned the houses of the very substantial North American community and inevitably arrived at the consulate of the United States. The flag was ordered down and heaped in a pile with other US flags and desecrated in the middle of the street while Consul General Philip Hanna was taken prisoner. But in the very heart of this patriotic outburst, another story was unfolding. Some of the members of the unruly crowd were uncomfortable with the consul ’s treatment because, according to the eyewitness, Hanna with his family “had lived among us for some time and . . . had won our love . . . because of the rhetoric and reality of nationalism • 59 his kindness and humanitarianism.”2 Many among the crowd probably recalled his tireless efforts to bring relief to thousands of poor and homeless Mexicans during the great flood of 1909, which killed thousands and devastated Monterrey . As the consul general was led away the crowd was further moved by the words of a young girl (probably one of Hanna’s nieces): “What is this about? We have always loved the Mexicans very much.”3 Hanna was taken to the prison, where he was met at the entrance by the old warden, who berated the consul’s captors: “This is no place for General Hanna. He is one of my dearest friends, as he is the friend of every Mexican. I will not receive him in this penitentiary.” Hanna was taken to the palace of the state government, where he was locked up in the reception hall until freed shortly thereafter by the Constitutionalist rebels, who had taken the city.4 This episode offers several lessons. First, there is a clear connection between what was happening in the streets of Monterrey and the events in Veracruz and even farther away, in the centers of power in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City, where decisions that affected the two countries were made. Thus, any discussion about what transpired in Monterrey during the revolution must consider the broader national and international context. Second, the incident reveals particular groups’ use of nationalist rhetoric to further their interests. The huertista authorities of Monterrey attacked the two most visible symbols of the North American presence: the flag and the consul general. However, they did so more because they wished to neutralize the rebels at the city gates and less from a sudden love of country. When this failed, they attempted to mobilize and unite the people to repel the Constitutionalists. They also used nationalism not in support of the revolution but to prop upVictoriano Huerta’s counterrevolution.5 The incident makes plain a third lesson: The nationalist rhetoric, at least with respect to the assault on the US diplomatic representative , did not convince everyone. This chapter deals with the issue of nationalism and the way it was expressed in Monterrey during the revolutionary period (1910–1920). However, first it is essential to briefly discuss the nature of nationalism and its relation to the Mexican Revolution. No one can deny that nationalism is one of the most powerful forces in the modern world. This doctrine glorifies the nation, a concept defined as an “imagined community” by Benedict Anderson and which has won broad acceptance from scholars. It is imagined, according to Anderson, “because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most...